St James AME Church, Elgin, Illinois

The follow resolution was presented to The Commission on Women in Ministry by the Connectional Executive Board of AME/WIM (Rev. Dr. Erika D. Crawford, President)  on December 6, 2016, adopted by The Commission on Women In Ministry (Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield, Chair) and subsequently presented and adopted by The General Board (Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenze, President) on December 7, 2016.
 

Resolution on Gender Justice and Equality of Women

WHEREAS, it is asked in Micah 6:8 “…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” We stand in solidarity with the Church, fully committed to the Quadrennial Theme “The African Methodist Episcopal Church: A Social Justice and Liberating Faith” and;

WHEREAS, justice is a human right that must encompass the indispensable right for persons to live and work in our churches, communities and countries with dignity and pride free from oppression; and

WHEREAS, our pursuit of justice should include an intentional commitment to gender justice, so that we might live in a world where everybody, women and men, boys and girls are equally valued and able to share equitably in the distribution of power, knowledge, resources and access; and

WHEREAS, AME/WIM challenges the African Methodist Episcopal church to recognize that in addition to addressing Political Justice, Criminal Justice, Environmental Justice, and Economic Justice, A Social Justice and Liberating Faith must also address Gender Justice, both in the world and in the church; and

WHEREAS, it is our desire to see the sons and daughters of God, free from cultural, religious, institutional and interpersonal systems of privilege which have long oppressed persons through violence, imperceptions, oppression and repression based on gender; and 

WHEREAS, as the adverse impact of gender injustice is primarily and most severely experienced by women and girls, who are discriminated against in the home, work place, community and church; and 

WHEREAS, it is imperative that we consciously and intentionally work for equitable and impartial treatment of all in accordance with the word of God which says to us God created them male and female, and God blessed them and called them "human” Genesis 5:2; and

WHEREAS, our Sister Communion, the United Methodist Church, having apologized to the AME Church for its injustice to people of color and desiring not to repeat a similar injustice to women has begun to address gender justice issue stating that: 

“reliability as an agency of God's love assumes that we are paying attention to one another and we are seeking to empower, to unshackle, to raise up those who are still oppressed, repressed, derided and treated as "less than”; and 

WHEREAS, the African Methodist Episcopal Church is, still on the journey towards fully respecting and valuing the gifts and call of all persons; and

WHEREAS, we trust that the AME Church will:

• Affirm the right of women to live free from violence and abuse,
• Affirm the importance of women by placing them in key leadership decision-making positions at all levels of the Church, our institutions and society,
• Urge our elected officials and government agencies to retain and enact legislation and policies that protect women against all forms of violence, economic injustice and discrimination,
• Eliminate gender-role stereotypes in all aspects of voluntary and compensatory participation in the Church and society,
• Affirm the right of women to equal treatment through employment, promotions, economic parity and justice.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that AME/WIM comes before you, “Standing United, Moving Forward, Stronger Together;” in support of human rights and asks The Commission on Women In Ministry to request of the General Board the following:

1. The adoption of this policy/statement regarding the equality and the value of women: 

We, The African Methodist Episcopal Church, affirm that all men and women are created equal by God and therefore, entitled to value of personhood, parity in employment, equal distribution of responsibility and promotion in ministry. 

We the African Methodist Episcopal Church will work to eliminate gender-role stereotypes and discrimination in all aspects of voluntary and compensatory participation in the Church and society. 

We will champion economic parity and justice by affirming the right of women to equal treatment and placement in key leadership decision-making positions at all levels of our Church, our institutions and our communities.  

2.  That the General Board urge our elected officials and government agencies to retain and enact legislation and policies that protect women against all forms of misogyny, violence and discrimination.

3.  That the General Board recognize March as International Women’s History Month and strongly encourage local churches to recognize and celebrate the work of women in our Zion.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rev. Dr. Erika D. Crawford,

Connectional President

Executive Board Members: